Household Social Environmental Influences on African-American Adolescents’ Smoking Habits (original) (raw)
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Ethnic variation in socioenvironmental factors that influence adolescent smoking
Journal of Adolescent Health, 2005
Purpose: To compare black, Hispanic and white adolescent smokers on socioenvironmental factors associated with smoking. Methods: The study uses a cross-sectional design. A needs assessment of 1305 current, former and never adolescent smokers from four ethnically and geographically diverse sites in the United States was conducted in 1999. Two sites were selected because they represented urban cities in the Northeast and Midwest with a high proportion of black and Hispanic residents. Two additional sites were selected to recruit rural and suburban adolescents. From this larger sample, 181 subjects from three focal ethnic groups (white n ϭ 138; black n ϭ 24; Hispanic n ϭ 19) who had smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and were current smokers (smoked in the past 30 days) were included. The three ethnic groups were compared on the following variables of interest: peer and family influences on smoking, situational factors associated with smoking, places that were likely sites for smoking and perceptions of friends and family as potential support persons for quitting smoking. All data were analyzed with Chi-square analysis. Results: Almost all (96%) of the black adolescents lived with another smoker compared to 68% of Hispanic and 60% of whites (p ϭ .004). Black teens were more likely to smoke with family members (50%) than Hispanics (5%) or whites (25%) (p ϭ .003). In addition, 50% of black teens compared to 5% of Hispanics and 12% of white teens, reported smoking to fit in (p Ͻ .0001). Black teens in this study emphasized the familial and social pressures of smoking. Higher rates of acceptance of smoking by family members, role modeling by household members, more prevalent beliefs that smoking is a way to achieve belonging, and lack of perceived support for quitting by friends appear to influence cigarette smoking more for black than white or Hispanic youth. Conclusions: These preliminary results indicate that familial and household norms play a critical role in influencing cigarette smoking among black teens.
Patterns of Cigarette Use Among Black and White Adolescents
American Journal on Addictions, 1995
The autbors comparedpeer and familial correlates of smoking among black and non-Hispanic white teenagers. Some earlier scbool-based studies suggested tbat black teem are predominately peer-driven smokers and not especially influenced by parental smoking bebavior. Using national and California-based survey data, tbe autbors applied logistic regression analysis to corroborate earlier researcb indicating, among botb samples of black teens, tbat smoking was signifi'cantly associated witb baving best friends and siblings who smoke, and parental smoking did not correlate significantly witb smoking. For the non-Hispanic wbite subsamples, tbe evidence was less clear. Logistic regression data also sbowed adolescent smoking primarily as a peer-and sibling-influenced activity. (American Journal on Addictions 1995; 4215-225) revious research has repeatedly dem-P onstrated two important correlates of adolescent smoking: 1) smoking prevalence is higher in families where parents themselves smoke;'-3 and 2) peer smoking represents a powerful influence on desire both to initiate and maintain regular patterns of tobacco use! Yet two studies done exclusively among black teenagers, one of which was carried out re~ently,~'~ failed to find an association between parents' smoking and their teenagers' smoking behavior. On the basis of these results, Botvin and associates recommended that smoking cessation efforts among black teens be focused primarily on the resistance to peer and older-sibling influences.6 A primary concern prompting the present inquiry-that the two previously mentioned studies were carried out exclusively among inner-city black youth and were derived from school-based samples. Research results recommending particular kinds of smoking prevention and cessation programs should ideally be broad-based, representing suburban and rural black
Correlates and predictors of smoking among black adolescents
Addictive Behaviors, 1992
Little is known about the etiology of cigarette smoking among minority populations. This study examines the correlates and predictors of smoking among inner-city black seventh graders (N = 608). Enhanced self-reports of cigarette smoking were collected along with data concerning demographic, social, and psychological factors hypothesized to promote smoking initiation. Results indicate that social environmental factors, such as the smoking status of friends and siblings, and individual factors, such as refusal assertiveness. general assertiveness, and age are predictive of current smoking. Similarly, the smoking status of friends. attitudes concerning the harmful effects of xnoking, and low self-esteem concerning school are predictive ofbehavioral intention to smoke in the future. Overall. the factors that were the most salient predictors of smoking for the black adolescents in this study are generally congruent with the existing literature for other populations.
Addictive Behaviors, 2003
Introduction: Cross-sectional studies have repeatedly observed that African American adolescents are less likely to smoke when compared to White and Hispanic adolescents. Although much is known among high school samples, few scientifically based studies have reported these race and ethnic differences in cigarette smoking among younger samples. Methods: This study employed a secondary analysis of data from a 3-year middle school violence prevention project. The study design was a 3-year serial cross-sectional survey, out of which a cohort of students from sixth to eighth grade was formed. Smoking measurers were taken yearly. Results: 8865 students responded in 1994, 9115 in 1995, and 9364 in 1996; 1589 students are in the 3-year cohort. Smoking prevalence rates from both measurement periods confirm the disparity between African Americans, Whites, and Hispanic youth. Although weak in sixth grade, by eighth grade, White and Hispanic students are smoking at two to four times the rate of their African American classmates. Conclusions: Clearly, more etiological research needs to be conducted to understand the social, cultural, and intrapersonal forces that operate to inhibit the onset of smoking in African American youth and promote the onset of smoking in White and Hispanic youth. D
Causes of the Decline in Cigarette Smoking Among African American Youths From the 1970s to the 1990s
American Journal of Public Health, 2011
Adult cigarette smoking prevalence trends among African Americans (AAs) and Whites are similar. However, during the decline in youth smoking that occurred between the mid-1970s and the early 1990s, the drop in smoking rates among AA adolescents was more than double that among Whites. We examined the evidence for potential explanations for this phenomenon. On the basis of our findings, we propose that racial differences in parental attitudes, religious ties, negative perceptions and experiences of the health effects of smoking, worsening poverty, increased use of food stamps, and price sensitivity were major factors contributing to the more rapid decrease in and continued lower rates of smoking among AA youths.
Tobacco Induced Diseases
INTRODUCTION Tobacco use remains a primary cause of health disparities between Black and White Americans. Current approaches have not improved tobaccorelated racial health disparities. This study aimed to identify differences in factors associated with tobacco product use among Black and White adolescents. METHODS This cross-sectional design used data from Wave One (2013-2014) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study. Adolescents aged 12-17 years who identified as non-Hispanic Black or African American (n=1800) or non-Hispanic White (n=6495) were included. Primary outcomes were the ever use and current use of any tobacco products. Sociocultural, household environment, psychological, and behavioral factors were included. Logistic regressions, stratified by race, were used to determine significance. Dominance analysis was used to rank significant factors by their level of importance. RESULTS Although there were many Black-White commonalities, there were also important differences. Black adolescents in the Northeast were more likely to have ever used tobacco compared to those in the South (OR=0.6; 95% CI: 0.6-0.7, p<0.001) and Midwest (OR=0.6; 95% CI: 0.5-0.7, p<0.001). White adolescents in the Northeast were less likely to use tobacco products than in other regions. Peer influences (OR=1.9; 95% CI: 1.1-3.2, p<0.05) were uniquely associated with ever use among Black adolescents. Access to tobacco in the home (OR=2.0; 95% CI: 1.4-3.0, p<0.001) and thinking that tobacco use would help reduce stress (OR=1.3; 95% CI: 1.1-1.6, p<0.01) were uniquely associated with current use among Black adolescents. CONCLUSIONS There are significant Black-White differences in the factors associated with tobacco use. Factors uniquely associated with Black adolescent tobacco use should be considered in developing strategies to prevent adolescent tobacco use in Black communities.
Racial Disparities in Tobacco Use and Social Influences in a Rural Southern Middle School
Journal of School Health, 2006
This study investigated racial differences of tobacco use and social exposure to tobacco products in a sample of middle school students. Questionnaires were administered in January 2005 to 290 students in a Mississippi Delta-area middle school. The participants were 51.0% female and 56.6% African American. Unadjusted odds ratios revealed that Caucasian students were statistically more likely than were African American students to (1) have ever tried smoking, (2) have ever been a daily smoker, (3) have smoked in the past 30 days, (4) live with someone who smokes, (5) have seen a parent or guardian smoke, and (6) have friends who smoke. In contrast, African Americans were more likely to report ''no one is allowed to smoke'' in their home. Caucasian females had the highest rates of smoking, as well as the highest exposure to social smoking behaviors. This study not only showed that Caucasians were indeed smoking more but also that African American adolescents do not have the same exposure to social smoking, particularly African American females. Of particular interest was why the differences eventually dissipate and smoking rates are virtually the same in adulthood. A greater understanding of the impact of exposure to tobacco use on an adolescent's own tobacco use is vital to prevention efforts, especially in regard to racial differences. Future research on youth tobacco prevention and cessation programs should focus on sociocultural and racial differences in the development of tobacco use in adolescents. (
Race/ethnicity, socioeconomic factors, and smoking among early adolescent girls in the United States
Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2009
Background-This study uses large nationally representative samples of White, Black, Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Other Latina, Asian American, and American Indian 8th-grade girls to examine racial/ethnic differences and similarities in patterns, trends, and socioeconomic correlates of cigarette use.